Some stories begin exactly where they are meant to.

Ours began at sea.

In July 2023, on a sailboat off the coast of Mallorca, we were introduced (set up, rather) by Sugar and Billy McCauley.

What began as a day on the water quickly became something neither of us expected. Jonathan suggested we take the dinghy ashore for beers. Aliche, nervous but intrigued, said yes.

By the time we tied up on land, the weather had shifted. Rain began to fall, keeping us ashore longer than planned.

Naturally, Aliche suggested a gin and tonic.

What followed felt effortless. They talked, they laughed, and somewhere between the rain and the conversation, Jonathan asked Aliche to kiss her. Encouraged by the moment, Aliche asked him to stay for the weekend.

Fate, it turned out, was persuasive.

That weekend in Mallorca became the beginning of everything. Between long conversations, shared meals, and many laughs, Aliche and Jonathan fell in love.

Three weeks later, Jonathan returned to Mallorca to meet Aliche’s entire family. Three weeks after that, Aliche packed her life into suitcases and moved to Florida.

Now, three years later, Aliche and Jonathan return to Mallorca not as two people who once met on a sailboat, but as partners choosing one another every day. Grateful for the journey that brought them here and excited for the life still unfolding ahead.

This is our story.

And it’s only just beginning.